Selecting the right theme for your Magento 2 store can be rewarding, but it often feels overwhelming, especially with options like Magento PWA and Hyvä.
As both themes promise to fix front-end issues and enhance site performance, but choosing the best one for your needs is crucial.
In this article, we’ll simplify the comparison between Magento PWA and Hyvä, highlighting their key differences, benefits, and more. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of which Magento theme is better for you.
What Are Hyvä & Magento PWA?
What is Hyvä?
Hyvä is a modern Magento theme that has quickly gained popularity since its launch in 2020. The Hyvä theme is designed with simplicity and performance in mind, focusing on minimizing complexity and making it easy for developers to work with.
One reason to choose the Hyvä theme is its blazing-fast speed, which provides a high-performance score due to the use of technologies like Tailwind CSS and AlpineJS, replacing slower, previously used frameworks.
Advantages:
- Hyvä theme is its blazing-fast page loading speed, which can positively impact your conversion rates.
- It simplifies front-end development, making it easier for developers to operate and implement changes with minimal hassle.
- If you seek more control over your designs, Hyvä is a great option. It uses fewer code files and minimal designs, offering greater design flexibility.
- Hyvä provides support that you can contact anytime if you encounter issues or need assistance during implementation on your Magento store.
Disadvantages:
- The theme’s compatibility with Magento 2’s default checkout is limited. You may need to explore alternative payment solutions or adapt existing ones to work seamlessly with Hyvä.
- To use the Hyvä theme, you need to purchase a license costing €1,000. This may be a significant upfront expense for smaller projects or startups, but it covers multiple storefronts, which can be cost-effective in the long run.
What is Magento PWA?
Magento PWA (Progressive Web App) is a powerful approach for businesses to implement web development, combining the best aspects of web and mobile app experiences.
PWAs are known for their app-like features, including offline functionality, security, engagement, and lightweight performance. Magento PWA is an excellent choice to deliver a seamless experience across all devices, from desktop to mobile.
Advantages:
- PWAs offer features like offline access, push notifications, and responsive design, providing a near-native app experience.
- Magento PWA can be highly customized to meet various complex business requirements, making it suitable for large enterprises.
- PWAs are more secure as they are served over HTTPS, ensuring a higher level of security.
- PWAs are optimized for SEO and mobile-first indexing, enhancing visibility and search engine rankings.
Disadvantages:
- Magento PWA requires a more technically skilled team, as building a PWA from scratch can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
- PWAs depend on external services, so if something goes wrong with those services, it can affect the entire PWA.
- While PWAs offer an app-like experience, but they do not fully match the performance of native apps.
Hyvä vs Magento PWA: Comparison
| Factor | Hyvä | Magento PWA |
| Ease to Use | Simple to use with any technical support | Requires more technical expertise |
| Developer Friendliness | It’s compatible by developers | Requires familiarity with PWA technology |
| Technology Stack | Modern & Lightweight | Complex & needs advanced technologies |
| Performance | High-speed, optimized for speed | Excellent, especially on mobile devices |
| SEO-Friendliness | Good SEO capabilities | Strong, especially with mobile-first indexing |
| Customization and Flexibility | Easy customization | Highly customizable |
| Integration and Compatibility | Limited to extensions compatible with Hyvä | Wide range of integrations |
| Pricing and License | License cost €1,000 +other implementation costs | Higher costs than Hyvä greater than $5000 |
| Customer Support | Growing community, limited official support | Established support network |
Ease to Use
Simply saying, Hyvä is much easier to use than PWA because you don’t need any additional technical skills to handle the issues and implementation processes. Hyvä is built with minimalistic designs and uses simpler technologies, making changes quick and easy.
However, compared to PWA, it can be challenging for a team to implement and modify the theme efficiently, as PWA requires more technical expertise and can pose difficulties for those unfamiliar with Progressive Web Application technologies.
Developer Friendliness
Developer friendliness is closely related to ease of use. As we’ve seen, Hyvä has minimalistic code files, meaning you don’t need an additional technical team to work on the Hyvä theme. You can start customizing the theme to suit specific business needs with ease.
On the other hand, while Magento PWA offers more customization options, it also requires a more advanced skill set. Developers need to be proficient in PWA technologies and JavaScript frameworks.
Technology Stack
Hyvä is popular because it uses modern and lightweight technologies like Tailwind CSS and AlpineJS, focusing on optimizing performance and simplicity to enhance the customer experience. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses seeking a smooth process for running an e-commerce store.
However, Magento PWA uses more complex and advanced technologies like React, GraphQL, and JavaScript frameworks to render files on servers. This setup allows for a rich, dynamic user experience but requires more advanced technical infrastructure and expertise.
Take a look at the Hyvä Theme in a Magento 2 store for free using our Magento 2 Hyvä Theme Demo.
Performance
Performance is a critical consideration for any e-commerce store, and both Hyvä and Magento PWA show significant results in this area. However, Hyvä’s average load time is around 2 seconds, making it a blazing-fast website option that improves SEO and user experience.
On the other hand, PWA offers more performance in terms of app-like experience and is specifically built for mobile devices, offering a smooth and responsive experience. Its ability to work offline and provide app-like interactions makes it a powerful choice for enhancing mobile user engagement. On average, the performance score of PWA is around 3 seconds.
SEO-Friendliness
In terms of SEO, Magento PWA is highly favored and has seen immense growth because PWAs are built with a focus on mobile experiences. As a result, they’re indexed much faster and can enhance user engagement with app-like features.
However, the Hyvä theme also offers SEO-friendly features, such as user-friendly slugs, and the ability to easily modify titles and meta descriptions to optimize for search engines. While it isn’t specifically designed for mobile devices, but the Hyvä’s blazing performance makes it a strong choice for SEO as well.
Customization and Flexibility
Hyvä’s ability to easily customize and its simpler technologies make it straightforward for anyone to make adjustments and have more flexibility in defining the functions and features according to your needs and desires. However, it may be limited in terms of extensions and functions that are not supported by Magento stores.
On the other hand, Magento PWA offers high flexibility and more customization options to meet specific business requirements. Built on powerful technologies and designed from scratch, it allows for the integration of unique features and functionalities, making it suitable for larger, more complex projects.
Integration and Compatibility
Hyvä is compatible with various Magento extensions, though careful selection is needed to ensure full compatibility.
In contrast, Magento PWA offers excellent frameworks and technologies that support a wide array of integrations. Whether you need CRM, ERP, or marketing automation tools, Magento PWA can accommodate these needs, making it a versatile choice for businesses with complex integration requirements.
Pricing and License
When it comes to pricing, making a smart decision is crucial. Hyvä is generally more affordable, offering a simpler licensing structure. The cost is typically €1,000, with potential additional setup costs. It works well for small to medium-sized businesses that need a cost-effective solution.
On the other hand, Magento PWA can be quite expensive due to the complexity and setup of advanced technologies, which often incur additional costs. Building a PWA from scratch can exceed $5,000 in charges.
Customer Support
Hyvä has a growing community that provides valuable resources for troubleshooting, support, and documentation. However, official support options may be more limited compared to more established themes.
Magento PWA benefits from a well-established support network, including extensive documentation, forums, and professional support services. This makes it a reliable choice for businesses that require comprehensive support.
Magento PWA vs Hyvä for Magento 2: Which To Pick?
Choosing between Hyvä and Magento PWA largely depends on your business goals, budget, and technical resources. Here are some scenarios where each theme might be the best fit:
When to Choose Hyvä:
- If you are looking to minimize costs without sacrificing performance, speed, and quality, then Hyvä offers excellent value with its one-time license fee and lower capital requirements.
- If you do not want to compromise on performance and desire blazing-fast loading speeds, then Hyvä is a great option with an average load time of 2 seconds.
- Hyvä theme is easy to customize, edit, and add additional functionalities without requiring prior technical knowledge.
- If you prefer saving time over detailed functionalities, Hyvä could be a great choice to get started. Its easy-to-use technology is effective and doesn’t require additional resources, time, or technical expertise.
When to Choose Magento PWA:
- Magento PWA is a good choice if you have a large customer base and want to streamline their journey through various processes.
- It is particularly preferred by large companies needing to engage with customers due to its app-like features, including offline access and push notifications, making it an unbeatable choice.
- It is ideal for businesses looking to scale and potentially integrate with various third-party systems (like CRM, ERP, or marketing tools). Magento PWA’s in-app architecture supports complex and scalable solutions.
Hyvä vs Magento PWA – The Ultimate Winner
Hyvä is a popular theme due to its impressive performance, fast loading page speeds, and ease of customization. On the other hand, Magento PWA offers a more powerful, feature-rich experience for businesses that need advanced functionalities and an app-like user experience.
If you need a straightforward answer, the Hyvä theme would be more beneficial for your Magento 2 store.
As it is a worthwhile investment, and perfect for quick setup and speed.
However, the decision between Hyvä and Magento PWA ultimately depends on your business needs, budget, and technical capabilities. So, consider your options carefully and make a smart decision!
